Mother's robbery in Baltimore spurs $5,000 FBI reward offer

The FBI Baltimore office released these surveillance images of a robbery at Mother's Federal Hill Grille on Feb. 2.

Justin George, The Baltimore Sun

The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of four armed robbers who barged into Mother's Federal Hill Grille, threatened employees at gunpoint and hit one worker with the butt of a shotgun.

As employees arrived at the restaurant in the 1100 block of S. Charles Street for work Sunday, four men burst in just before 7 a.m. and demanded cash. A gunman hit an employee with the shotgun when a safe wouldn't open, federal authorities said.

Four employees were pistol whipped with handguns, with the head chef being struck multiple times, a co-owner of the grille told The Baltimore Sun. The robbers made off with the staff's cell phones, wallets and cash but did not get any of the restaurant's money, the co-owner said.

"Someone in our community knows who these men are," Baltimore FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Vogt said in a statement. "We need that person to come forward — the information they provide could stop these men from striking again and someone being seriously hurt."

Photos distributed by the FBI show the suspects in black clothing with one holding a shotgun.

FBI officials said the suspects are to be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about the robbery or the robbers is asked to call the Baltimore Division of the FBI at (410) 265-8080.

Tipsters can remain anonymous, and could receive a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect, the FBI said.

"We're offering the reward because it was a pretty aggressive and violent robbery; we hope the reward will spur someone who knows something to call us," FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson said.